Abstract [en]

The industrial distributor market has experienced great changes during the recent decades. Manufacturers today have better possibilities reaching their customers directly by selling through the Internet, but the distributors have in general strengthened their positions, due to several reasons. Most research concerning the manufacturer-distributor relationship has, however, indicated that collaboration is the key to creating value in the marketing channel. The majority of these studies have been quantitative, and researchers have requested more qualitative studies.

Partly with the aim to fill this gap, a case study was conducted to investigate the distributor sales of ABB Low Voltage Products product category Pilot Devices, consisting of for example push buttons. Pilot Devices was chosen as it is a typical distributor product for many reasons. What also is evident is that it is a commoditized product, where it is hard to find differences between brands. With this background, the study was conducted through a certain lens: how can the marketing through distributors be improved for commoditized products? Eleven semi-structured interviews were conducted with distributors in Sweden and the United Kingdom together with 25 observational studies in distributor stores. In order to obtain a deep understanding of the end customer’s need, five interviews with panel builders, a typical customer type, was conducted.

The empirical data showed that the distributors’ needs differ significantly, which has been neglect by previous studies. Manufacturers must develop an understanding for these needs in order to manage the channel effectively. For large distributors, monetary incentives, an end-market commitment and product data were priorities. For smaller, technical oriented, distributors, product training and marketing material were distinct needs. The study confirmed previous studies stating that clear allocation of responsibilities and effective communication are important. The study of the panel builders showed that they have a highly repetitive buying behavior, often affected by previous blueprints or by their customer’s requirements. The distributor segments’ value adding activities, their needs and the impact of the end customer were incorporated into a framework that fulfilled the study’s purpose: a guideline how manufacturing companies can improve their marketing through distributors for commoditized products.